School Practitioners Research Articles

Bullying Prevention in a Swedish Municipality: Supported Decentralised Reasoning

The national context of Sweden is particularly illustrative for international research, in that bullying and degrading treatment have been a central aspect of policy-making for some time. In Sweden, schools and municipalities are obliged to produce detailed action plans to counteract bullying. The aim of this study is to describe and analyse how practitioners in schools, during implementation of the Municipality Bullying Prevention Model (MBPM), change the way they work and apply decentralised reasoning to prevent bullying. This study makes use of an action-research approach. In the project, bullying prevention is addressed by the participating schools. The findings indicate that practitioners introduced various measures in different places and at different levels during implementation of the MBPM. It also became apparent that bullying prevention work needs to build on a school’s contextual knowledge and have a whole-school approach.

Current Practice Patterns and Perceived Needs of Occupational Therapy Practitioners in Middle Schools

ABSTRACTThis study explored the practice patterns and perceived needs of American middle-school-based occupational therapy practitioners. An online survey was sent to occupational therapy professional associations nationally and posted on professional social media pages. Sixty-four occupational therapy practitioners from all regions of the country completed the survey. Findings indicate practitioners recognize the need to place more emphasis on personal context in the evaluation and intervention process with middle-school students. Participants identified that middle-school settings offered distinct challenges to implementing best practices. Improvements were suggested to current practice patterns and participants identified a variety of resources to improve practice.

Teachers' Values and Social Competences: Towards a Social Skills Modelling Definition

The demands that teaching is exerting on school practitioners have substantially changed in the last two decades. One of the most challenging aspects arises from an extremely fluid composition of the student population, with a larger variety of ethnicities, cultural traditions, and religions than in the past. The goals have shifted, as well, and they extend well beyond the transmission of specific subject contents. But can teachers effectively help the coming generations to develop social skills and common values, allowing them to promptly react to scenarios which are impossible to foresee?
 The aim of this review is to offer a coherent selection of previous findings related to the pivotal role of teachers at nurturing the moral acquisitions in their students. Four sections are dissecting evidence about teaching efficacy, teaching practice, value transmission and imitative learning. Through these elements, the possibilities of a successful intervention will be discussed and confronted with the unavoidable limitations and controversies.

Maintenance and Generalization in Functional Behavior Assessment/Behavior Intervention Plan Literature

School practitioners increasingly use functional behavior assessments to design behavior intervention plans when students engage in challenging behavior that is not improved by classroom management or standard interventions. Behavior intervention plans should aim to produce behavior change that maintains across time and generalizes to relevant contexts. In applied terms, maintenance occurs when a behavior continues to occur after the intervention is fully or partially withdrawn; generalization occurs when a learner engages in a trained behavior in an untrained context. This review examined the current status of maintenance and generalization in the school-based FBA/BIP literature and found that many school-based researchers continue to implement the intervention during the maintenance phase or in the generalization contexts. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Restorative practices and the integration of social emotional learning as a path to positive school climates

Purpose An understanding of the effects of zero tolerance policies in schools has resulted in rethinking of approaches to prevent conflict and creating a healthy school climate. Restorative practices (RP) have been looked to as an alternative to zero tolerance policies. At the same time, social emotional learning (SEL) programming has been implemented to provide students with the skills to communicate and build relationships with peers. The purpose of this paper is to provide a look at the historical context shaping the development of RP, and explore connections between RP and SEL. Considerations for implementation and conceptual models for implementing RP are also discussed. Design/methodology/approach Informed by education policy analysis methods, this essay places RP in their broader context, explores RP and considers such practices important to study due to the unintended effects stemming from “traditional” obedience-oriented punitive approaches to school discipline (American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force, 2008; O’Malley and Austin, 2014). Findings Based on the analysis of current research, the authors explain that when RP are implemented with SEL programming, it is an opportunity for educational practitioners to address issues around race, gender, disability, and other aspects of diversity. By integrating these approaches together, RP become a vehicle to develop students’ SEL skills, which includes communication skills, kindness, empathy, and caring. Research limitations/implications An understanding of how zero tolerance policies have played out in the school setting has resulted in rethinking of current approaches to preventing conflict. Subsequently, educational leaders and professional associations have led a shift toward alternative models and practices in school discipline. Practical implications District, state, and federal policymakers have pressed for more constructive alternatives that foster a productive and healthy instructional climate without depriving large numbers of students the opportunity to learn (Skiba and Losen, 2016, p. 4). These approaches include RP, as well as integrating SEL into school practices and the curriculum. Social implications Several challenges and opportunities lie ahead. Based on the firsthand work with schools and districts implementing restorative and SEL practices, as well as the knowledge and insights gained from this analysis of research, one important need to consider is the need to integrate school disciplinary practices, including RP, into the school context and existing structures. Originality/value By conducting this study of the research evidence on RP, the authors were able to gain insights into questions, including: How have school practitioners applied RP as an alternative to zero tolerance policies?

Using exploratory factor analysis and Bourdieu’s concept of the illusio to examine inequality in an English school

This article examines how exploratory factor analysis and Bourdieu’s concept of the illusio were applied to a study of an English secondary school in a disadvantaged area of the West Midlands. It examined the attitudes of the school’s entire cohort of 156 students during their first year at the school. By comparing the students’ self-reported attitudes to school and school practitioners’ perceptions of students’ attitudes to school, the study found that students from poorer backgrounds and those with a lower level of cultural capital were viewed more negatively than others by teachers and pastoral managers. Exploratory factor analysis was used to create robust economic and cultural capital profiles that reflected the capital within the field of the school. Exploratory factor analysis also created thematic factor scores from the data collected from both the students and the practitioners. The study found that the school, through ability grouping, created an elite group of high-capital students who practitioners perceived more positively than other students. However, this was not reflected in the students’ self-reported views of the school. The findings suggested that although the outward appearance of the schooling had changed considerably since the tripartite system was introduced, the nature of the illusio, and the students advantaged and disadvantaged by it, remained fundamentally the same.

Patterns of social-emotional learning needs among high school freshmen students

The relationships among social-emotional learning (SEL), academics, and school behaviors have been widely established. However, it is less clear how patterns of co-occurring SEL needs among high school freshmen students relate to grades, behaviors, and their perceptions about the importance of social skills. This study uses latent class analysis to identify patterns of SEL needs among ninth grade students (n = 323), their associations with prior and current academic and school behavioral performance, and their perception of the importance of social skills. Five patterns of SEL needs emerged: (1) low-all, (2) high-all, (3) social skills problems only, (4) assertion, externalizing, and internalizing problems, and (5) high behavioral needs. Consistent with other research, students with more SEL needs experienced greater academic and behavioral problems. Additionally, importance ratings of social skills had varying associations with membership across the patterns of SEL needs. Findings highlight the importance for school practitioners to understand patterns and mindsets of students' social skills to improve programming efforts targeting academic and behavioral outcomes.

The Education of Prescribers for Safe and Effective Use of Medications.

The transformation of medical education, with the disappearance of sequential lectures in pharmacology, clinical pharmacology, and therapeutics, has left gaps in skills needed for new physicians and other prescribers to safely incorporate medications into clinical practice. Brinkman et al. conducted a Delphi study of European Union (EU) medical school educators and practitioners to identify core competencies needed to prescribe medications. Their findings offer directions for learned societies, such as ASCPT, to enhance pharmacology education and practice.

Psychometric Considerations for Conducting Observations Using Time-Sampling Procedures

Time-sampling techniques are popular among school practitioners and researchers alike when conducting observations of student behavior. Despite their popularity, the psychometric properties of such observation data have not received much attention, likely given that both procedures and targets vary widely across individual coding systems. A systematic literature review was therefore conducted to provide insight into how various procedural aspects may influence the psychometric properties of time-sampling data. Specifically, the influences of the number of target behaviors, time-sampling method, interval length, observation length, and number of observations on the psychometric properties of time-sampling data are explored. Both implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Breaking Down Barriers and Building Bridges: Transformative Practices in Community- and School-Based Urban Teacher Preparation

Attracting and retaining high-quality teachers is especially challenging in urban districts. It is in these communities where teacher candidates must begin their preparation. This article provides a conceptual framework and programmatic examples used to develop a community-based urban teacher preparation model within a third hybrid space where community scholars, school practitioners, and university faculty come together to create a “pipeline” of community-minded teachers committed to teaching in their communities. Bridging the gap between content-based preparation at universities and culturally situated pedagogical training within the very urban classrooms where teachers are likely to be hired results in teachers with higher levels of self-efficacy, agency, and confidence. In turn, this positively affects teacher persistence, resilience, and higher rates of retention over time.

Researchers Supporting Schools to Improve Health: Influential Factors and Outcomes of Knowledge Brokering in the COMPASS Study.

Although schools are considered opportune settings for youth health interventions, a gap between school health research and practice exists. COMPASS, a longitudinal study of Ontario and Alberta secondary students and schools (2012-2021), used integrated knowledge translation to enhance schools' uptake of research findings. Schools received annual summaries of their students' health behaviors and suggestions for action, and were linked with COMPASS knowledge brokers to support them in making changes to improve student health. This research examines the factors that influenced schools' participation in knowledge brokering and associated outcomes. School- and student-level data from the first 3 years of the COMPASS study (2012-2013; 2013-2014; 2014-2015) were used to examine factors that influenced knowledge brokering participation, school-level changes, and school-aggregated student health behaviors. Both school characteristics and study-related factors influenced schools' participation in knowledge brokering. Knowledge brokering participation was significantly associated with school-level changes related to healthy eating, physical activity, and tobacco programming, but the impact of those changes was not evident at the aggregate student level. Knowledge brokering provided a platform for collaboration between researchers and school practitioners, and led to school-level changes. These findings can inform future researcher-school practitioner partnerships to ultimately enhance student health.

Public scholars, legitimation, and the “subject of history” predicament

This essay explores recent trends in contemporary educational studies that have focused on developing closer partnerships between university-based scholars and school practitioners and community-based organizers. With a focus on the antidote, as seen in the 2016 American Educational Research Association’s conference theme to recalibrate university-based education scholars as professional educational researchers in the service of the public, the author exposes how the contemporary trend, although running counter to, cannot be extricated from the Marxian problematic concerning the subject of history.

The Impact of Cyberbullying on the Self-Esteem and Academic Functioning of Arab American Middle and High School Students

Introduction. Cyberbullying has received a considerable amount of attention within the academic and public literature. However, very little if any cyberbullying research has been conducted among Arab American students. This current study explored the impact of cyberbullying among middle and high school Arab American students on their self-esteem and academic functioning. It further explored the extent to which levels of emotional intelligence moderated these relationships.Method. The population of this study consisted of 1,152 middle and high school students, grades 6 through 12 from four different charter schools in Wayne County in Michigan. These schools represented different ethnic groups, such as Arab Americans, African Americans, Hispanic and White.Results. The results of the study indicate that Arab Americans experience more cyberbullying than the other ethnic groups within the study. The data illustrates that cyberbullying has an expected negative effect on student self-esteem and academic functioning among the Arab American group. There were mixed findings among the other ethnic student groups.Discussion. The level of student emotional intelligence was shown to moderate the relationships between cyberbullying, self-esteem and academic functioning more-so among Arab Americans than for the African American and White American student groups. This finding informs school practitioners that it would be advantageous to develop programs that promote emotional intelligence among students.

High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Framework for Evidence-Based Practice

Schools are being confronted with an increasing population of high-functioning students with autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). These students pose particular challenges to school-based practitioners and teachers given their social-communication deficits, restricted and repetitive behaviors/interests, and relative cognitive and language strengths. This article examines the impact of HFASD at the student, classroom, and district levels, and existing evidence-based strategies and techniques to improve social competence and daily functioning. It then proposes a comprehensive intervention framework for school practitioners and provides an example of a model comprehensive school-based program. Future directions and areas in need of study are also discussed.

Face-to-Face Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Multiple Forms of Substance Use Among School-Age Adolescents in the USA

Face-to-face and cyberbullying are associated with adverse behavioral or health problems. However, little is known about the association between multiple types of bullying and substance use. The current cross-sectional study compares the association among face-to-face and cyberbullying (bully-only, victim-only, bully/victim, non-involved) and multiple forms of substance use (cigarette use, alcohol use, drunkenness, marijuana use) from a sample of 6th–10th grade students. Data were derived from the 2005–2006 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study (N = 7189). Zero-inflated Poisson regression analyses of substance use on bullying involvement were conducted, controlling for social-ecological factors. For face-to-face bullying, being bully-only was positively associated with all forms of substance use and being bully/victim was correlated with alcohol use. In the case of cyberbullying, being bully-only and bully/victim increased the incidents of all types of substance use, while being victim-only was only correlated with cigarette and alcohol usage. Further, results indicated that there were some interaction effects of parental monitoring and delinquent friends on the link between face-to-face bullying and substance use. The study findings contribute to scholarship on the linkages among face-to-face bullying, cyberbullying, and substance use within a social-ecological framework which has major implications for school mental health. More specifically, these findings can be useful for school practitioners and health care providers in developing and implementing prevention and intervention programs that address multiple risk behaviors among adolescents.

Preparing occupational therapy students to address mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention in school-based practice

ABSTRACTDirectors of entry-level occupational therapy (OT) programs were surveyed regarding how their programs prepare students to become mental health practitioners in schools. Analysis of quantitative data included descriptive statistics to examine participants’ ratings of their program’s ability to prepare students for mental health practice. We found that OT education programs address the role of school-based occupational therapists but provide limited didactic and experiential learning opportunities relating to OT’s role in mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention in schools.

The Evidence Informed School System in England: Where Should School Leaders Be Focusing Their Efforts?

This article examines the impetus for schools to engage both in and with evidence in England’s self-improving school system. It begins with an examination of how the education policy environment has changed, shifting from predominantly top down approaches to school improvement to the current government’s focus on schools themselves sourcing and sharing effective practice to facilitate system-level change. The article then explores some of the key factors likely to determine whether schools engage in meaningful evidence use, before analyzing survey data from 696 primary school practitioners working in 79 schools. The article concludes by highlighting where schools appear to be well- and under-prepared for a future of evi- dence-informed self-improvement.

Clinical practice in the center: Enhancing learning and collaboration in clinical practice through professional development learning community workshops

The traditional model of teacher preparation, which focuses on content and methods courses in a college or university, can create a gap between university faculty and school practitioners. This article describes a series of clinical practice workshops as a viable means to bridge the gap between a university and its partner middle schools in the preparation of middle level teachers. A review of literature in teacher education reveals a priority on field practice over content preparation and methods courses. Accordingly, clinical practice workshops were created as a site of professional development and collaboration among university faculty, supervisors, on-site liaisons, and cooperating teachers. The participants interacted as equal partners. They applied the ideas they learned from the workshops to enhance teacher candidates’ clinical experience. The school practitioners and university faculty also increased their understanding of each other’s needs and have begun to develop a shared vision of effective strategies for teaching young adolescents and mentoring novice teachers. The article details the structure of the workshops, topics for exploration, and logistical strategies. Sample workshop materials and the critical elements are also provided.

School-Based Outcomes Among Youth With Incarcerated Parents: Differences by School Setting.

Parental incarceration impacts millions of children in the United States and has important consequences for youths' adjustment and school-based outcomes. Using data from a survey of youth behavior in one large Midwestern state, we examined the effect of both present and past parental incarceration on school-based outcomes, across 3 school settings (public schools, alternative learning centers, and juvenile correctional facilities). Parental incarceration was significantly associated with students' poor school-based outcomes; however, these effects varied markedly by school setting. Among youth in public schools, parental incarceration was consistently associated with poor school outcomes. There were mixed effects among youth in alternative learning centers and no significant effects among youth in juvenile correctional facilities. The study adds to a body of literature demonstrating the negative effects of parental incarceration on youth's school-based outcomes for youth in public schools; however, findings were mixed for youth in alternative learning centers and juvenile correctional facilities. Implications for future research and school practitioners are discussed.

Outdoor learning spaces: The case of forest school

This paper contributes to the growing body of research concerning use of outdoor spaces by educators, and the increased use of informal and outdoor learning spaces when teaching primary school children. The research takes the example of forest school, a form of regular and repeated outdoor learning increasingly common in primary schools. This research focuses on how the learning space at forest school shapes the experience of children and forest school leaders as they engage in learning outside the classroom. The learning space is considered as a physical space, and also in a more metaphorical way as a space where different behaviours are permitted, and a space set apart from the national curriculum. Through semi‐structured interviews with members of the community of practice of forest school leaders, the paper seeks to determine the significance of being outdoors on the forest school experience. How does this learning space differ from the classroom environment? What aspects of the forest school learning space support pupils’ experiences? How does the outdoor learning space affect teaching, and the dynamics of learning while at forest school? The research shows that the outdoor space provides new opportunities for children and teachers to interact and learn, and revealed how forest school leaders and children co‐create a learning environment in which the boundaries between classroom and outdoor learning, teacher and pupil, are renegotiated to stimulate teaching and learning. Forest school practitioners see forest school as a separate learning space that is removed from the physical constraints of the classroom and pedagogical constraints of the national curriculum to provide a more flexible and responsive learning environment.